Especially on the internet, there is a constant pressure to expand into new platforms. Everyone tells you that to build any business, you need business cards, a website, a dozen social media accounts, and press releases. You need a killer content marketing strategy, weekly webinars, and viral YouTube videos.
This is simply not true.
Businesses are built on the quality of their sales funnels, not their quantity. It’s also going to take you time to figure out what works most effectively for each sales funnel. For you to succeed, you’ll need to spend a great deal of time on each platform. You won’t be able to figure this out if you’re doing dozens of things at once.
When in Doubt, Reduce the Number of Sales Funnels You’re Running
Focus on one campaign at a time before you go building another. There are several benefits of doing this:
- You can figure out what works. When you have multiple ways to promote your business, it gets much more difficult to figure out what is actually working.
- Each funnel gets the attention it deserves. You are not going to get it right the first time. By focusing on one funnel at a time, you can spend the time necessary to get through the learning curve.
- You ensure you’re spending your time on high-impact tasks. You only have so much time in a given day and if you want to grow your business, you need to make every minute count.
Everyone will tell you to get a blog, Facebook Page, Twitter account, YouTube account, and whatever social media site happens to be popular at the moment. Ignore these people. You want to focus on making one platform work before expanding into another.
Otherwise, the quality of your work suffers. If you’re trying to manage dozens of social media accounts and publish regular content on your site, it’s going to be less than fantastic. And when content isn’t any good, it dilutes your brand. Pick one, focus on it, then expand when you’re ready.
What’s essential?
This depends completely on what stage your business is in. If you’re just starting and have a limited budget, focus on one platform at a time.
For example, someone starting a service agency does not need to worry about blogging, Facebook, PPC, or anything else. Cold calls or emails will be more than effective enough to get the business off the ground. This is also true for a new product, reach out to people directly before you complicate things. You’ll also get better feedback.
But as the business grows, it will be worth it to explore different funnels to accelerate growth. Definitely experiment with new funnels but do it in a measured and deliberate way so you can figure out whether each new funnel is worth the time or if you should move on to your next idea.
What’s your main sales funnel?
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